House-sharer wishes to leave after only one month

[LifeSucks]

Hi All,

I really need your help/advice.

I am staying in a house share and singed six months tenancy agreement.
However, just after a month, I got another offer and have to live the city.
So I told landlord that if we somehow work out the solution. I clearly told him that I will make sure he wont suffer ANY loss because of me. I will find the replacement and once the new person moves in, he can terminate my contract. However he is very cynical and very poor listener. He said nothing and said that he is busy for couple of days and will talk later. After that day he is not answering ANY of my calls, text messages. Absolutely no communication and I don't know where he stays.
On top of that, he did not give me copy of inventory list and original contract. I have photo copy of contract only. Every sec, I think of this person the way he has treating me...I asked him few times to give me original contract, inventory list. I think, he is taking me for a ride just because I am foreigner.

I am really stressed out because of this and need to find out the solution.
I don;t want to get into any legal hassle to affect my future visa...

But at the same time...I am desperate to teach a lesson to this landlord.

Any creative ideas here?

[TenantsLuvMe]

When you are in a house share, all the people on the contract are treated as one and all carry the same privileges and obligations. The rest of the people on the contract have to be included in any discussion about you wanting to leave, but the plain and tough news is that the Landlord doesn't have to accept you leaving and a new sharer coming in.

If the landlord wants, he can make you liable for the remaining 5 months rent and your housemates too.
Your life and the changes to your life have nothing to do with your LL because those aspects do not form part of your contract with the Landlord.
I would argue that you don't HAVE to leave your job - you could stay with your current job. You just want to change, that's all.

A Landlord cannot be made responsible or to suffer any inconvenience etc., just because a tenant decides to make changes to their life.
If Landlords had to keep accepting constant changes, there would be no contracts, there wouldn't be so much choice or amount of accommodation for tenants nor would their be protection from very bad landlords and we would be in a world like it was in the 1960's with very little choice of rented accommodation and terrible landlords.

The landlord can decide, if he wants to, to release you from your obligations, but this is purely his choice and his choice only.

The matter of original documents is not that much of an issueand photocopies of documents are common and valid. At least you have documents.
But I would ask him for a copy of the inventory (don't your house mates have a copy ?) and that if it does not arrive within 5 days, you will take that to mean that there is no inventory and that you cannot be held liable for any damage or condition problems.

[justaboutsane]

I think you will find that a Landlord has to mitigate his loses. Therefore he CANNOT try and charge you for the whole term, he must at least show "reasonable" efforts to replace the tenant. At present the landlord is not doing this. Also as the tenant does not have an address for the Landlord no rent is legally due!!

Without a copy of the inventory the Landlord cannot make deductions, unless you have signed one and only he has a copy.

One other thing... has this landlord placed your deposit into protection?? If no you may have a bargaining tool.

[LifeSucks]

This is an independent house share...I just have contract for my room only and have nothing to do with other tenants..Each room is advertised independently...

He has not put the deposit into any protection...because he has not informed about anything....

I do not have his address...
I did sign an inventory list with my observations marked on it but only LL has the copy....I have nothing to prove in case he changes the pages except the last signed one...

I am just really annoyed with the fact that I offered him replacement with ME taking all the burden and no involvement from his side apart from contract and no financial loss to him...

Sometime you have to be just nice and understand the someone's problem...

Also, at least he must say NO for any replacement ask me to serve the min term...but when someone does not bother to answer your calls/texts etc...that really causes frustrations and worries.

[jeffrey]

a Landlord has to mitigate his losses.

Yes, that's true, but...

Therefore he CANNOT try and charge you for the whole term, he must at least show "reasonable" efforts to replace the tenant.

...this bit isn't. During fixed term, L has no such duty. See Reichmann/Dunn v. Beveridge/Gauntlett, a 2007 Court of Appeal decision.

[TenantsLuvMe]

This is an independent house share...I just have contract for my room only and have nothing to do with other tenants..Each room is advertised independently...

You didn't tell us this before.

I am just really annoyed with the fact that I offered him replacement with ME taking all the burden and no involvement from his side apart from contract and no financial loss to him...

Sometime you have to be just nice and understand the someone's problem...

Also, at least he must say NO for any replacement ask me to serve the min term...but when someone does not bother to answer your calls/texts etc...that really causes frustrations and worries.

You want sympathy and co-operation from a LL but this is a business arrangement not a charity.
It is up to the LL if he wishes to help you, but he doesn't have to do anything legally.
If the LL wants, he can pretend to be looking for another tenant but it would be hard to prove that he hasn't been trying to find someone else for your room.